The author of “The Martian Chronicles”, “I Sing the Body Electric”, “A Sound of Thunder” and many many other wonderful fantasy stories, best known for writing Fahrenheit 451, which was made into a movie, passed from this earth at the ripe old age of 91.
I remember Ray Bradbury’s stories fondly because I first learned from men like him that you can be an intellectual and know God! His imagination greatly assisted in keeping me amidst the chaos of my childhood. As a teen I couldn’t wait for the Science Fiction/Fantasy magazine to which I was subscribed to arrive in the mail so I could then scour through the stories and forget my troubles. I read every word in rapt anticipation, critiquing all of them for their value against Mr. Bradbury’s work. Ray Bradbury, and my high school creative writing teacher, was a reason I love to write today. And whenever I found Ray Bradbury stories I was delighted. I purposely did not, however, read any of his horror stories he wrote after “Something Wicked This Way Comes”; talk about SCARY!
What I found most delightful about Mr. Bradbury’s work was his 
acknowledgement of God in outstanding ways. Unlike Asimov, Bradbury didn’t suspend his intellect when he saw Creation, he saw Design and acknowledged a Designer. I will never forget the story he wrote of an astronaut trying to meet Jesus, going frantically from plant to planet, never quite catching Him, not realizing Jesus was waiting for him to have faith first. I have always considered this particular story to be a shot across the bow of the unintellectual atheism of peers like Asimov. That Story “The Man” was excellent but cannot be construed as being some sort of theological treatise; it was a mere flight of fancy, a ‘”what if’ and nothing more. But “The Man” had touched me deeper than I realized as Mr Bradbury made it clear what the real argument was about: Faith in Jesus. Only Ray Bradbury and Jesus know whether he was a Believer (he was accused of pantheism) but he certainly has more evidence of being true than Isaac Asimov ever did, and that is the point. God is honored in Bradbury’s writing, and for that I say “Thanks”.
Speaking of his work Ray Bradbury said,
“I sit there and cry because I haven’t done any of this. It’s a God-given thing, and I’m so grateful, so, so grateful. The best description of my career as a writer is ‘At play in the fields of the Lord.'”
Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury has inspired many of us in my generation to write well, love what we do and show our gratitude to Jesus in our work.
Thank you again sir. I hope to meet you one day to shake your hand.
Patrick Burwell
OnlyJesusSaves.com
